Work for Idle Hands: January 2023 Archives

Archive Entries for January 2023

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Tuesday January 31, 2023

Books in January

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett
Another deliciously layered mystery from Janice Hallett, and if you have enjoyed her innovative way of presenting her previous stories, you will love it. Rather like "The Appeal", the story is presented as a series of emails, Whats App messages, letters, news clippings - and phone recordings, transcribed by a faithful assistant, Ellie, whom we can also thank for the excellently curated presentation of the materials. The dossier was originally compiled by Amanda, a true-crime journalist who has decided to write her next story focusing on several grizzly murders which took place decades ago. The murders were centred around a small group dabbling in the occult, and convinced they were saving the world from the anti-Christ; the perpetrator was instantly taken into custody at the time, and is now (thankfully) incarcerated in secure institution. After the group was disbanded, a baby was taken into care, and, seeing her way into the story, Amanda starts her mission to locate the surviving members of the group, and, most importantly, "the baby" - a mission which she pursues obsessively and ruthlessly, without any apparent ethical or moral considerations. If all that were not difficult enough, Amanda is forced by her publishers to work with Oliver, an old colleague - perhaps nemesis even - upon whom, it becomes clear, she is intent on meting out some kind of personal revenge.
Seen through their communications, Amanda is a classic and intentionally obvious "unreliable narrator", and Oliver seems to steadily disintegrate to a state of nervous breakdown - but in contrast, Ellie is a delight, and provides a much-needed stable and realistic viewpoint, while she doggedly researches and transcribes the material Amanda provides her with.
Once again I did enjoy the author indulging her ability at pastiche in reproducing sections of other (fictional) blockbuster novels of differing genres inspired by the murders, as well as a hitherto unproduced screenplay.
This is a much darker story than Hallett's previous books, and I felt a constant sense of anxiety, although I am not sure of its source as it was not concern for the characters, who are for the most part not very sympathetic. Although we don't like Amanda, the story is compelling with a terrifically tense and unexpectedly twisty ending - and most of all, we do love Ellie.

So Shall You Reap Donna Leon
This is another wonderful treasure from Donna Leon. It centres around a cold case - a scenario increasingly popular in modern crime stories - although it is triggered by a murder very much in the present.It weaves together a number of strands of thought-provoking material examining hate crime and attitudes to prejudice, as well as how well or little we know about those we work with every day. Through attention to detail, the police team gradually unravels the secrets of both present and past. All too often in this series, it seems that even though the police "solve the crime" they cannot bring the criminals to justice in the conventional way, and at best some compromise has to be made. However, in this case, despite the powerful figures involved, you are left with no doubt that those responsible will face prosecution.
Leon displays an admirable economy of style in her writing, where every sentence vividly conveys the essence of her meaning without being overly wordy, and her characters come to life with real depth without needing to explain every last detail of personality - or physical appearance... [Here I should say for those familiar with this book series, Signorina Elettra is an exception as we are treated to full descriptions of her wonderful clothes, mostly I think as they are so much appreciated by Brunetti]. I was interested to note that this is the first "post-pandemic" (if we can say that) book I have read and Covid is referenced I think in a rather clever way, with Brunetti casually finding that he has a face mask left as a kind of relic in his pocket, and not feeling the need to wear it - still present, but not centre stage.
The Brunetti series has been with us for over 30 years now, and I'm tempted to describe them as "gentle" although that has come to mean "lightweight", which these books are definitely not. Leon consciously avoids political controversy, even though there are many examples of the more localised political machinations within the Italian police; in fact this particular story more or less opens with one such "accommodation" between departments. Overall, if her plots have any underlying themes, they are overwhelmingly towards issues with the environment - and you do not have to look very far to be faced with these concerns in Venice, where the books are set. However, do not think that Leon engages in clumsy eco-crusades in her writing - they are mystery stories full of interesting characters where these - often very serious - issues simply provide the backdrop.
Brunetti himself is an interesting protagonist to have gained such a mainstream following over the years, as he is somewhat intellectual, loving opera and often to be found reading ancient philosophers. He has a happy home life - not presented as unrealistically idyllic - with his wife and children providing robust exchanges during their meals together, and insights which would otherwise bypass Brunetti.
Despite the fact that their working day is interspersed with regular visits to local cafes for brief coffees, (and Brunetti generally returns home for lunch), you never feel that the detectives are anything less than dedicated and conscientious workers. Transport in Venice is by vaporetto - but there is also much walking, often seen as a pleasing alternative by Brunetti, during which he never fails to admire and appreciate the architecture and beauty of his home city. But I think it is his basic sense of sanity and decency in a rather less than sane environment, that instills such trust in the reader. It's not necessary to read the books in order; although Brunetti's family and the age of his children do develop through the stories, it is easy enough to place the stories within the chronology.
So... if you have never read any Leon books before - start now!

Real Tigers by Mick Herron [Read by Seán Barrett]
Another gripping tale, which is the third in the Slough House series.
In their efforts to rescue one of their own, our Slow Horses are thrown into real field work in which they are for the most part barely competent. This includes both Lamb and Ho, the latter proving himself wholly incompetent though surprisingly willing. This story has even more deeply political overtones, and the cynical asides - sometimes presented in the minds of the characters and sometimes not - are satirical genius.
I have now watched the Apple TV versions of the first two books and as dramatisations they are well up to the standards of the books. The cast is terrific and, even though I always visualise Charles Grey playing a slobby version of Mycroft Holmes, Gary Oldman works well as Lamb. I'm not sure they've quite nailed Roddie Ho - the actor is perfect but we cannot be privilege to the inner working of his mind in quite the same way on the screen, so while he seems crass enough, he's less overtly preposterous.
[Note that I had great difficulty in finding any on-line links or references to this ISIS audio recording by Seán Barrett - even seems to have gone from the library site from which I obtained it - hence the link to a US site].

Marple: Three New Stories
Three new stories featuring Agatha Christie's heroine, reimagined by contemporary mystery writers for a new generation: a murder, a theft and a mystery where nothing is quite what it seems.
Twelve new stories in total have been published to mark 45 years since the publication of Agatha Christie's last Miss Marple novel.
The ones broadcast here are:
- Murder at the Villa Rosa by Elly Griffiths [Read by John Heffernan].
- Miss Marple's Christmas by Ruth Ware [Read by Georgie Glen].
- The Unravelling by Natalie Haynes [Read by Monica Dolan].

Just William
The Great Performer by Richmal Crompton
Some further Richmal Crompton stories brilliantly read as ever by Martin Jarvis - really make you laugh out loud.
- William Joins the Carol Singers
- William - Only Just in Time
- William the Great Actor
- William's Midnight Adventure
- William Goes Shopping